Written by Kay DeKock, BA candidate, Lindenwood University, and participant in the 2024 Institute for Public health Summer Research Program
Going into Summer Research Program – Aging and Neurological Diseases Track, I knew very little–almost nothing, really–about what it meant to work in a research lab. I assumed it would be something like a college course, a whole lot of finishing miniscule, seemingly meaningless tasks that, in the end, contributed to almost nothing other than a grade. Through my work in the Kress lab, however, I was able to learn that this was not at all the case.
Frankly, the work was difficult, and challenging. I was not doted on and walked through every task I had to complete. Most often, I did not know what I was doing, or if I was doing it correctly; the entire experience was almost entirely self-guided, and while frustrating at times, prompted me to work harder to acclimate to a new setting and push myself to do bigger, better things.
Throughout this program, although I did not excessively contribute greatly to anything, I realized that through being a researcher, you are almost always contributing to something bigger and more meaningful than you are, and that is a beautiful thing. Without the teamwork of a lab full of intelligent, determined people, the “big” things that are praised and admired would never become what they are now. Teamwork and a lot of what I first perceived as meaningless tasks, turned out be important to the larger picture of what researchers accomplish. Without the collaborative effort of all these people, these tasks would be untouchable.
I will not boast and pretend I know everything about what it means to be a researcher, but I can proudly say the following: Without the efforts of the Kress lab and all of those involved in it, I would never know what it truly means to be a researcher. Through them and my own effort, I have a great idea for what my–and that of society’s–bright futures hold while in the hands of our researchers.